Digital storytelling in English language teaching: A critical literature review of empirical trends and pedagogical gaps

Abstract

Research on digital storytelling (DST) in English language teaching (ELT) has grown rapidly. However, existing reviews often adopt an overly celebratory tone, creating a pedagogical gap by obscuring empirical weaknesses and digital inequities. To address this issue, this critical review evaluates a curated corpus of peer-reviewed articles published between 2012 and 2025. It interrogates the methodological robustness and theoretical grounding of current scholarship. Synthesizing the corpus reveals three key contributions: enhanced language proficiency, learner autonomy, and digital literacy. Nevertheless, these outcomes are frequently overstated due to short-term interventions and small convenience samples. The main limitation of this review stems from restricted data boundaries that exclude grey literature, affecting qualitative generalizability. Practically, these findings imply that educators must integrate DST into structured curricula with multimodal rubrics to solve real-world engagement issues. Socially, this review promotes equity by demonstrating how minimizing the digital divide prevents DST from reinforcing inequalities among marginalized students. Ultimately, this study guides future research toward longitudinal designs in under-resourced settings.